Picking shoe



Sept; 3, 1946 B. w. BROUWER,

PIcKIN SHOE Filed Junel5, 1945 FIG. 1.

/ I IN VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 3, 1946 PIQKIN G SHOE Benjamin W. Brouwer, Auburn, Mass,assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, acorporation of Massachusetts Application June 15, 1945, Serial No.599,671

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in picking an sms for looms andit is the general object of the invention to provide a picking shoe soconstructed as to facilitate checking of the inward stroke of the pickerstick and also assist the stick to return to its normal outwardposition.

In certain types of picking mechanism the bottom end of the picker stickis secured to a shoe which rests on a rocker iron mounted to swin withthe lay. As heretofore made the shoe has been provided with an undersurface curved throughout its length. As a result of this con structionthe shoe rolls or rocks along the rocker iron throughout the pickingstroke with no appreciable retarding effect on the stick at the innerend of the picking stroke.

It is an important object of my present invention to provide the shoewith an under surface part of which is curved and part of which isstraight, and relate these two parts of the shoe surface of the shoeengages the rocker iron near the end of the picking stroke. As a resultof this construction the greater part of the shoe is lifted away fromthe rocker iron near the end IE on which is rotatably mounted a pickingroll or ball [6 for engagement with a cam I 1 secured to a picking shaft18. The latter is mounted. for rocking movement in bearings secured tothe loom frame II]. A sweep arm 19 extends upwardlyfrom shaft l8 and isattached to a sweep stick 2B, the outer end of which is connected to apicker stick 2|. During loom operation shaft 13 rotates every secondpick of the loom and the roll I 6 engages the cam I! to move the pickerstick to the left as viewed in Fig. 1 to pickshuttle S when the lay isabout at top center on its backward stroke.

Secured to the rocker shaft I4 is a rocker iron having an upper flatsurface 26 and provided with a vertical lengthwise slot 21. A lug 28,see

20 to the rocker iron in such a way that the straight of the workingstroke of the stick and sets up increased strains in=-the return springwhich tend to check the stick. These increased strains also hasten theoutward or return movement of the stick to normal position.

With these and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanyingdrawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of myinvention is set forth, M

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a part of the loom having my inventionapplied thereto, and showing the picker stick and shoe in th positionsthey occupy at the beginning of a picking or working stroke,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation, parts in section, of the shoeshown in Fig. 1 but with the Fig. 3, depends from the rocker iron andcarries a stud 29 on which is rotatably mounted a spring drum 30 towhich a strap 3! is secured. A torsion spring 32 surrounding the drumtends normally to turn the drum in a clockwise direction as viewed inFig. 3 and resist movement of the strap 3| to the right or outwardlyaway from the loom frame.

A picking shoe 35 rests on the surface 26 and has a slot 36 throughwhich projects a tongue 31 projecting upwardly from the rocker iron 25.The right end of the strap 3! is secured as at 38 to the lower outerpart of the picker stick.

A bolt 40 passes through a cleat 4|, the picker stick, and the uprightwall 42 of the shoe 35.

By means of the bolt and cleat the left edge of the picker stick asviewed in Fig. 3 is forced against an inverted .T-shaped guide 43 whichextends along the inside of wall 42. The lower end of the guide 43extends through the slot 2! and the bottom of the guide 43 is providedwith shoe shown in that part of the picker stick stroke where the flatsurface of the shoe engages the rocker iron,

Figs. 4 to 7 are diagrammatic views showing the manner in which theinvention operates, and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on line 8-8 of Fig. 3. Referring to Fig; 1,the loom frame l0, lay H,

lay sword i2, bottom shaft l3, and rocker shaft I 4 may all be of usualconstruction. The bottom shaft [3 has secured theretoa picking armoppositely extending lugs 45 which can engage the side walls 46 of theshoe 25 forming the sides of slot 21. A roll 50 turns on a stud 5|extending between the walls 46 and the spring 32 and strap 3| act tohold the left edge of the guide 43 against the roll 50, see Fig. 3.

A second bolt 52 is threaded through the wall 42 and bears against theupper end of guide 43 and, together with the bolt 49, affords means foreffecting slight angular adjustments of the picker stick with respect tothe shoe. The matter thus far described except as noted hereinafter isof the usual construction and operates in the usual manner except for anupward movement of the picker stick accompanied by rolling of the guide43 along the roll 50 at the end of the picking stroke, as will bepointed out hereinafter. 7

The under surface of the shoe 35 is made in the general form shown moreparticularly in Figs. 3 to 7. The outer part of this surface may becurved and convex with respect to the surface 26, but approximately atthe point where this curve reaches the picker stick or guide 43 thecurved surface 6!! ends, and merges with a straight flat surface 6|. Thepoint of joining of these curved surfaces 60 and BI, designated at 62,will be located about as indicated in Fig. 3, that is, at or to theright of the guide 43 and to the right of a vertical line passed throughroll 50. The straight surface 6| extends toward the loom along the leftend of the surface 26, Fig. 3.

Under normal conditions preparatory to a picking operation the partswill be in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4 with the picker stick inits outermost position and with the convex curved surface Bil inengagement with and tangent to the surface 26. Under these conditionsall of the straight surface 6| will be above and out of contact with thetop surface 26 of the rocker iron 25, being held in that position by thespring 32 and strap 3!. As the roll l6 engages the cam l! the sweepstick 20 will cause the picker stick 2| to move to the left to propelthe shuttle S to the opposite side of the loom.

During the picking stroke the shoe 35 rolls along the rocker iron 25 andpasses through the intermediate position shown in Fig. 5. The parts ofthe picking mechanism are so related that the cam 11 will be givenapproximately its full motion by the roll it at about the time thatpoint 62 between surfaces 60 and BI engages the surface 26, or when theparts reach the position shown in Fig. 6. At this time therefore thefull power of the picking force has been imparted to the shuttle and theuseful working stroke of the picker stick has been completed. The pickerstick however continues to move to the left as viewed in Fig. 1 due toits momentum, but as it continues to move the point of contact betweenthe surface 26 and the shoe moves rapidly to the left, or to the end ofthe straight surface 6| to the point designated at a in Fig. 7. Thispoint a becomes the pivot around which the picker stick and its shoerocks in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3 against theaction of spring 32, thereby effecting a sudden application ofrestraining force to the picker stick which tends to arrest the latterand overcome its momentum. When the picker stick has come to rest thesurfaces 6!] and BI out of contact with the surface 25 except for theleft end of the surface 6 l and spring 32 will tend to move the pickerstick to the right as viewed in Fig. 1 to return it to its normaloutward position shown in Fig. 1. Because of the spring and the factthat the inner or left end only, Fig. 3, of the shoe engages the rockeriron, the stick tends to return rapidly from the position shown in Fig.7 to that shown in Fig. 6 and then continues to move through theposition shown in Fig. 5 until it reaches the position in Fig. 4.

During upward movement of the picker stick when the parts move from theposition in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7 the guide 43 moves along theroll 58. The guide 43 is held against th roll 55) by spring 32throughout the entire rocking movement of the shoe, this rollingmovement being down with respect to the roll 50 while the surface Ell isrocking along the surface 26, and being up when the picker shoe turnsaround the point a as a center.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided simple means bywhich a picker stick can be checked at the end of its inward stroke andstarted back with a quick return movement due to the fact that the undersurface of the shoe is provided with a straight surface 6 I. Thissurface merges with the curved surface til at a point 62 adjacent to theguide 43 and the picker stick. The straight surface 6| engages thesurface 26 at about the time that the cam I! has received its fullmotion from the picking roll l5.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes andmodifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wishto be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In picking mechanism for a loom operating with a picker stick andhaving a rocker iron which oscillates with the loom lay and is providedwith a flat upper surface, a shoe secured to the picker stick andresting on said flat surface, said shoe having an under surface part ofwhich is convex and part of which is straight, and resilient meansholding the shoe and picker stick normally in such position that theconvex surface of the shoe engages the flat surface of the rocker ironand the straight part of the under surface of the shoe is above saidflat surface, said flat upper surface, convex and straight surfacesbeing so related that the picker stick during the first part of aworking stroke thereof causes the convex surface to rock along said fiatsurface and during a later part of the working stroke causes thestraight surface of said shoe to engage said fiat surface prior to theend of the Working stroke of the stick, the end of said straight surfaceremote from the convex surface forming a temporary pivot with said fiatsurface near the end of the working stroke of the picker stick to causeupward movement of the shoe relatively to the rocker iron against theaction of said resilient means.

2. In picking mechanism for a loom having a picker stick which movesfrom the normal position thereof on a working stroke thereof, the loomhaving a rocker iron which oscillates with the loom lay and is providedwith a flat upper surface, a picker shoe secured to the picker stick andhaving a convex bottom surface extending from one end thereof toward thestick and having also a straight surface merging with the convex surfaceextending from the other end thereof toward the stick, and resilientmeans normally holding the picker stick and shoe in such position thatsaid convex surface engages said fiat surface of the rocker iron andsaid straight surface is above said flat surface, the fiat surface ofthe rocker iron and said convex and straight surfaces being so relatedthat the picker stick on a working stroke thereof causes the convexsurface of the shoe to roll along said flat surface of the rocker ironduring the first part of the working stroke of the picker stick andcauses the straight part of said shoe thereafter to engage said flatsurface during the remainder of the working stroke of the picker stickand causes that end of said straight surface remote from the pickerstick to form a temporary pivot with the said flat surface to effectupward movement of the shoe relatively to the rocker iron as the pickerstick approaches the end of its working stroke.

3. In picking mechanism for a loom having a picker stick which movesfrom the normal position thereof on a working stroke thereof, the loomhaving a rocker iron which oscillates with the loom lay and is providedwith a flat upper surface, a picking shoe secured to the picker stickand having convex and straight under surfaces for successive engagementwith said flat surface during a working stroke of the picker stick,resilient means connected to the picker stick and normally holding theshoe with the convex surface thereof in engagement with said flatsurface, and means causing said resilient means to resistmovement of theshoe with respect to the rocker iron from the normal position of saidshoe to a position in which the straight surface of said shoe engagessaid fiat surface, the picker stick on a working stroke thereof causingsaid convex surface to roll along said fiat surface of the rocker ironand then cause engagement of said straight surface with said fiatsurface and thereafter causing said shoe to move about a temporary pivotbetween the fiat surface and that end of the straight surface remotefrom said convex surface against the action of said resilient means.

4. In picking mechanism for a loom having picking mechanism operative tomove a picker stick toward the center of the loom on a picking stroke,the picker stick because of the momentum thereof continuing to movetoward the center of the loom after completion of operation of thepicking mechanism, a rocker iron located adjacent to the lower end ofthe picker stick and having a fiat upper surface, a picker shoesecuredto the picker stick and extending on opposite sides of the latterwith respect to the center of the loom, the under side of that part ofthe picker shoe beyond the picker stick with reference to the center ofthe loom being convex and the under part of the picker shoe between thepicker stick and the center of the loom being straight, said convex andstraight parts being adapted for successive engagements with said fiatsurface, and resilient means normally holding the picker stick and shoein a position corresponding to the beginning of a working stroke of thepicker stick with said convex part engaging said fiat surface, saidconvex and straight parts of the shoe being so related to said flatsurface that the convex part rolls along said flat surface during thefirst part of the operation of the picking mechanism, said straight partthereafter engaging said fiat surface during the latter part of theoperation of the picking mechanism and cooperating with said resilientmeans and flat surface to arrest the momentum of the picker stick.

5. In picking mechanism for a loom having picking mechanism operative tomove a picker stick toward the center of the loom on a picking stroke,the picker stick because of the momentum thereof continuing to movetoward the center of the loom after completion of operation of thepicking mechanism, a rocker iron located adjacent to the lower end ofthe picker stick and having a flat upper surface, a picker shoe securedto the lower end of the picker stick and resting on said flat surface,and resilient means connected to the picker stick tending to hold thelatter and the picking shoe in normal position preparatory to thebeginning of a Working stroke of the picker stick, said shoe having aconvex surface which engages said fiat surface of the rocker iron whenthe picker stick and shoe are in normal position and said shoe having astraight surface merging with the convex surface and adapted forengagement with said flat surface near the end of a picking stroke ofthe picker stick, said picking mechanism operative to give the pickerstick a working stroke and cause said convex surface to roll along saidflat surface during the first part of a picking stroke of the pickerstick and thereafter cause engagement of said straight surface with saidflat surface, the picker stick thereafter upon completion of operationof the picking mechanism tending due to the momentum thereof to continuethe working stroke, that end of the straight surface remote from theconvex surface thereupon forming a temporary pivot with the flat surfacearound which the picker shoe and stick move as a center against theaction of said resilient means.

' BENJAMIN W. BROUWER.

